Letting Go
Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Note it springs up; do you not perceive it? Isaiah 43;18-19 (NIV)
There are times when we all have wished for a time machine to whisk us back to younger years—happy memories. Unfortunately, they do not exist, even in this modern technology. We hold on for dear life to past events. How much of the present are we missing? Diane Stark (All God’s Creatures) shares a wonderful story of how she learned about letting go.
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I flipped through old photo albums, feeling nostalgic about when my kids were little. Where does the time go? I wondered, wishing I could rewind time. I longed to be needed again, like I was when they were younger. God, help me not to miss the past so much, I prayed.
That night I attended an Indiana Pacers basketball game with my husband Eric. The halftime show as a man and his three dogs, who could catch Frisbees in amazing ways. He threw Frisbees while jumping on a trampoline, and two of the dogs caught them. He threw Frisbees while riding a little motorcycle, and two of the dogs caught them.
The third dog—a black lab—caught the first Frisbee the man threw to him. When the man threw the Lab a second Frisbee, the dog chased it, be he couldn’t catch it because he still had the first one in his mouth. He chased Frisbee after Frisbee, but he never caught another one because he couldn’t drop the first one.
I loved the show, even the poor Lab who couldn’t let go. He was missing out on new things because he couldn’t let go of a previous thing. He reminded me of myself. Was I missing out on the fun of having big kids because I was looking backward? I hated to think I was.
I needed to find a way to cherish the past but to let go of it enough to enjoy the present. I realized that my kids still needed me, but in different ways. Parenting big kids was just different, but it was still a rewarding experience.
Just like that poor Lab, I’d been holding on to something that was keeping me from fully living in the present, but with God’s help, I’d learn to let it go.
Let go of the past but keep the lessons it taught you. —Chiara Gizzi
Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding us to live in the present and to let You sit rightfully on Your Throne. Teach us how to be on the lookout for new memories and to be grateful. AMEN.